When Capt.
Vernice Armour became a Marine in 1998, she also became
America's first female African American combat pilot. Armour
deployed twice during her time in the Corps, protecting the men
and women on the ground as an AH1 W SuperCobra attack helicopter
pilot.

Ever since she was young, Capt. Vernice Armour
wanted to be a cop. But more than that, she wanted to speak and
be a role model. It wasn’t until she became America’s first
female African American combat pilot in the Marine Corps that
those dreams began to come true.

Armour
comes from a Marine family. Her grandfather, William Holman, was
a Montford Point Marine who enlisted in 1942 and served in World
War II. Her stepdad, Clarence Jackson, served three Vietnam
tours as a sergeant.

Armour first became interested
in the military while in college when she joined the Army
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. “While in ROTC, I saw a woman
in a flight suit,” Armour said. “After that I became very
interested in aviation.”

Armour, however,
didn’t seriously consider joining until she had graduated from Middle
Tennessee State University and became a Nashville police officer. “I
realized I could always be a cop,” she said. “But I didn’t always have
the chance to be a combat pilot.”

The Marine Corps was at the
top of Armour’s list. “I only wanted to be in the Marine Corps,” she
said. “For me, it was the toughest. It was the biggest challenge.”

When
Armour spoke with an Officer Selection Officer, he told her she would be
the first female African American combat pilot, not just in the Marine
Corps, but in all military branches. “I said, ‘What? Are you serious?’”
Armour said.

Armour would be
going where few women, and most certainly no other black woman, had ever
been before. This worried Jackson, her stepdad. He had seen the way
women were treated in the Corps while he served and didn’t want Armour
to experience any discrimination.

But Armour knew what she
had to do. “I said, ‘Dad, if I don’t do it, who will? At some point,
somebody has to step up to pave the way for everyone to move forward,’”
Armour said. Armour was aware of possible discrimination and challenges,
but she was determined.

“I knew a lot
would be riding on my shoulders,” Armour said. “I knew it would be hard.
I knew there was a potential that there could be biases out there as
well about whether women deserve to be in the Marine Corps, or combat
and flying in that platform.” Regardless, in October 1998, Armour
started her historic journey at Officer Candidate School on Marine Corps
Base Quantico, Va. Following OCS in 2001, Armour earned her gold wings
and was stationed at Camp Pendleton with Marine Light Attack Helicopter
Squadron 169 as a AH1 W SuperCobra pilot.

Although prepared to face prejudice, Armour said she didn’t notice any
real discrimination.

“There is friction
all the time in different places,” Armour said. “Friction is natural.
When I had friction with someone it could’ve been because I had short
hair, I smiled in the morning, I could bench press more than them, I
rode a motorcycle, or because I’m a woman, or because I’m black. But
honestly, I didn’t care because my number one goal was to focus on the
mission and be the best pilot I could be.”

After Sept. 11,
2001, Armour and other combat pilots prepared for deployment.

“I
knew right then my life had changed,” Armour said. “We all knew we would
be going somewhere – and soon.” For Armour, her first deployment would
be in February 2003. As Armour crossed the border from Kuwait into Iraq,
the reality of the situation began to sink in.

“It
was so surreal because you’re not shooting at cardboard;
you’re not shooting at tires and wood,” Armour said. “There
were people on the ground, trying to take us out of the sky
to kill us. It was a huge reality check. All the training
came into laser-sharp focus.”

Suddenly gender and race didn’t seem to matter. All that
mattered was accomplishing the mission. “My number one goal
was to be the best pilot I could be up there in the air to
protect and serve my brothers and sisters on the ground,”
Armour said.

There
were times during that deployment when Armour wondered how
she and her comrades would make it out of certain
situations, but they never doubted that they would give it
their all. “Marines don’t settle,” Armour said. “Failure’s
just not an option for us.”

Armour
returned from her first deployment with her new title as the
first female African American combat pilot. She was deployed
again to Al Asad, Iraq in 2004 with the 11th Marine
Expeditionary Unit before separating from the Marine Corps
in 2007.

The
experiences Armour gained while in the Marine Corps now
allow her to pursue her dream of being a role model and a
motivational speaker. “The Marine Corps prepared the
platform for my purpose,” Armour said. She has since
published a book, Zero to Breakthrough, and is a traveling
speaker.

Her
role as the first female African American combat pilot most
certainly has inspired and will continue to inspire future
generations of Marines, African Americans and women to
greatness.